Guest Editor(s)
Dr. Tianxing Ma
Email: m16673133031@163.com
Affiliation: 1. Faculty of Construction and Environment, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 999077, Hong Kong
2. Ocean College, Zhejiang University, Zhoushan 316021, China
Homepage:
Research Interests: fluid dynamics, machine learning, constitutive model, non-newton fluid, geotechnical and geological engineering
Assistant Prof. Dr. Junwei Shu
Email: junweishu@zju.edu.cn
Affiliation: Ocean College, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
Homepage:
Research Interests: marine geotechnical engineering and geo-disasters, marine engineering geology and environment, hydrodynamics, fluid-structure interaction, pipes and piles, pipeline flow, well flow, numerical simulation
Dr. Hao Chen
Email: chillax@zju.edu.cn
Affiliation: Ocean College, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
Homepage:
Research Interests: engineering geology, geohazard susceptibility assessment, fluid dynamics characteristics in geohazards
Dr. Liangxu Shen
Email: shenliangxu@126.com
Affiliation: Ocean college, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
Homepage:
Research Interests: Rheological properties, Debris Flow Prevention and Control, Machine Learning in Geotechnical Engineering, Geothermal development, geological engineering and geological resources, petroleum engineering, natural gas, coal mining, metal mining, artificial intelligence and optimization algorithm
Summary
Complex flows involved in geological and surface processes represent a broad class of systems in which fluids, particles, and solid substrates interact across multiple spatial and temporal scales. These flows occur widely in natural environments and engineering applications, encompassing Newtonian liquids such as those typically found in river currents and floods as well as non-Newtonian and multiphase materials including debris flows, granular suspensions, pyroclastic currents, mudflows, and snow or ice avalanches. Driven by gravity, topographic constraints, rainfall, and tectonic forcing, these systems exhibit coupled dynamics that govern erosion, sediment transport, deposition, and long-term landscape evolution.
Recent advances in field observation, laboratory experimentation, and high-fidelity numerical modeling have significantly improved our ability to characterize the rheology, microstructural evolution, instability mechanisms, and transport behavior of such complex fluid–particle mixtures. These developments open new perspectives for understanding multiphase interactions, interfacial processes, and the role of fluid dynamics in shaping Earth's surface.
This Special Issue aims to gather contributions addressing fundamental and applied aspects of complex flows within Earth and environmental systems. Topics of interest include (but are not limited to):
· Physical mechanisms governing flow initiation, propagation, entrainment, and deposition
· Rheological models and constitutive descriptions for natural fluids, suspensions, and granular mixtures
· Multiphase flow modeling, high-resolution numerical simulations, and reduced-order or data-driven approaches
· Laboratory and field experiments, advanced monitoring and measurement techniques
· Hazard prediction, risk assessment, and engineering or environmental applications involving complex geophysical flows
By fostering interdisciplinary exchange among researchers in fluid dynamics, geophysics, materials processing, and environmental engineering, this Special Issue seeks to advance mechanistic understanding of natural hazard processes, improve predictive capabilities, and support scientific approaches to disaster prevention, mitigation, and resource–environment management.
Keywords
complex flow, surface processes, non-Newtonian fluids, Newtonian fluids, multiphase flow, rheological properties, debris flow and granular flow, fluvial dynamics, erosion and deposition, numerical simulation
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